Scottish fishermen who adopted CCTV on their vessels in order to monitor fish discards are to find out if their conservation measures will be rewarded.

Fisheries Secretary Richard Lochhead is in Aalborg to address the Danfish International Conference where he will also hold key talks with Ministerial counterparts from Denmark, Germany and the UK.

It is estimated £40million of fish thrown back into the North Sea every year because of quota restrictions.

Scotland followed Denmark’s example by launching the pilot scheme on seven vessels scheme in August.

Mr Lochhead will now ask that boats fitted with CCTV be afforded increased quotas. He will also ask for more intuitive means of counting ‘effort’ as actual fishing time, not just time away from port.

The move could herald the way for raising awareness of the benefits of CCTV as a management tool.

Speaking ahead of the Conference, Mr Lochhead said: "I am determined to help find a way forward that will see our fishermen not only survive the current storm caused by economic pressures and European restrictions, but emerge even stronger.

"We cannot afford to ignore problems such as discards and wait until 2013 for the broken Common Fisheries Policy to be overhauled.

“Decisive action is needed now to help secure a more sustainable and profitable future. We will do whatever it takes to ensure our fishermen are rewarded with catch quotas and effort that is actual fishing time, not simply time spent at sea. 

"Our fishermen are already international leaders on conservation issues. And by working with the industry and other nations I believe that we can make discards history. Allowing  fishermen to catch for the market will help both the industry and the environment.

"Scotland and Denmark share an appetite for change and it's clear that CCTV has the potential to be an extremely powerful tool. It can deliver the confidence and evidence to managers and consumers alike that our fishermen are responsible and are not actively wasting valuable resources.”

Scotland’s CCTV pilot scheme has been heralded a success by Mr Lochhead.